Garment holder



J1me 1965 J. EDWARDES 3,191,823

GARMENT HOLDER Filed 001;. 1, 1962 i'iwzn. 6 Pm A TTOR/VE/S United States Patent "ice 3,191,823 GARMENT HGLDER John Edwardes, 7648 Sylvan St., Utica, Mich. Filed Oct. 1, 1962, Ser. No. 227,410 3 Claims. (Cl. 223-96) The invention relates to garment holders, and in particular to a holder wherein a portion of the garment is grippingly held between opposed faces on the holder. A device embodying my invention is particularly well suited for suspending trousers, skirts, and the like.

One form of garment holder in common use comprises a pair of parallel wooden slats depending from a metal frame including a spring assembly. A portion of the garment is inserted between the slats, which are then shifted together to grip the garment therebetween by manipulation of the spring assembly. A second form employs. a wire frame to which are secured spring clips adapted to grippingly engage the garment at spaced apart points along the marginal edge thereof. Such garment holders generally comprise several elements which must be assembled together, with resulting higher cost. In addition, the holders are somewhat cumbersome and difiicult to manipulate.

An object of the invention is the provision of an improved garment holder of simple design and construction which is easily manipulatable to achieve a positive gripping action on the garment to be suspended. Another object is the provision of such a holder which comprises essentially only two members, a holding member and a clamping member, pivotally secured together by a suitable hinge.

The garment holder disclosed herein is preferably constructed out of a plastic material such as polystyrene, polypropylene, or the like. Such plastics are of sufficient rigidity to support the weight of garments without deformation, but at the same time resilient enough to enable manipulation as hereinafter described. Hinge portions are provided which are preferably made out of polyethylene plastic bonded to the holder.

Other objects, advantages and meritorious features Will more fully appear from the following specification, claims and accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a garment holder embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the garment holder showing the holder in the open position; and

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view through the garment holder showing the holder in closed position with the garment suspended therefrom.

Referring now to the drawing, the improved garment holder constructed in accordance with my invention in general comprises a holding member 10, and a clamping member 12, both of which are preferably made out of a plastic material such as polystyrene, polypropylene or the like. The holding or gripping member includes a base portion 14 and a pair of leg portions 16 and 18 which depend from opposite sides of the base and are inclined toward each other as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. One of the leg portions such as 16 is severed intermediate its length, with the resulting two parts being hinged together by a hinge 20. The lower part 22 of leg 16 is thus free to swing relative to the remainder of member 10. The entire member 10 may be molded or extruded in one piece and then slit to provide the part 22, or alternately the member may be made in two parts, whichever is desired. Hinge 20, made out of polyethylene or other suitable flexible material, is thereafter bonded to the holder 10 positioned as shown in the drawing. FIG. 1 shows hinge 20 extending the entire length of member 10, but it is obvious that a series of narrow hinges could 3,131,823 Patented June 29, 1965 be secured in spaced apart relation along the length of the member. Preferably member 10 is as long as or slightly longer than that portion of the garment which is to be received in the holder, to support the garment uniformly and permit it to hang straight, without wrinkling.

The clamping member 12 is made of the same material as member 10, but may be of substantially shorter length, say about one-third the length of member 11 as shown in FIG. 1. Member 12 conforms in configuration to member 10, as shown, and can be fabricated, as by extrusion, in one piece. The clamping member 12 includes a base 24, a leg portion 26 depending from one side of the base, and a curvedend 28. The extremity of leg 26 is inclined inwardly as at 31 to assure contact with part 22 of member 10. The curved end 28 of member 12 is hinged to leg portion 18 of holding member 10 as at 32. Hinge 32 is identical in construction with hinge 20, and is made out of the same material.

The lower extremities of leg portions 16 and 18 of member 10 may be inwardly curved as at 34, providing a pair of opposed gripping faces 36 between which a garment may be gripped. Faces 36 may be serrated to provide a better grip and prevent the garment from sliding longitudinally of the holder. Clamping member 12 is provided with a hook 38 which may be made of metal or plastic for suspending the holder from a clothes line, rod or the like. Hook 38 is secured to base 24 of member 12 in any convenient well known fashion, and may be mounted therein so as to be pivotable so that the holder itself can be rotated relative to the rod or the like from which it is suspended without removing the holder from the rod.

FIG. 3 shows the garment holder embodying my invention grippingly engaging a pair of trousers or the like 40. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that such holder is equally well suited for suspending ladies skirts or other articles of clothing, although this description of its operation will be restricted to a disclosure of how the device is used to hang a pair of trousers. To use the device, the clamping member 12 is swung on hinge 32 to the position shown in FIG. 2, permitting end portion 22 of holding member 10 to swing on its hinge 20 away from leg portion 18. The marginal edge of the garment such as the cuif 42 on trousers 40 are then inserted between the inwardly projecting ends 34 on leg portions 16 and 18 of member 10, and clamping member 12 swung to the position shown in FIG. 3. Member 12 must be sufliciently resiliently deformable to slide over that portion of member 10 indicated by numeral 44. As shown in FIG. 3, leg 26 is spaced slightly from leg 16 to provide clearance for hinge 20, and the extremity 30 of leg 26 is inclined inwardly to abut part 22. As member 12 is swung to the position shown in FIG. 3, the ends 34 on leg portions 16 and 18 are urged against opposite sides of the garment 40 with the garment being securely ped between end faces 36.

When constructed of plastic material such as above set forth, the garment holder embodying my invention may be colored attractively to enhance its eye appeal. While the holding member 10 and clamping member 12 may be made of solid construction, as shown, one or both-of the members may be perforated to provide a lighter weight holder. Making the members perforated would also result in the use of less material, with consequent lower manufacturing cost.

What I claim is:

1. A garment holder comprising, in combination: an elongate holding member having a base and a pair of integral legs depending from opposite marginal edges of the base in converging relation to each other and terminating at their lower ends in opposed gripping faces to engage a garment therebetween, one of said legs being hinged intermediate its length for freely swingable movement of the lower end thereof toward and away from the corresponding portion of the opposite leg, a resilient clamping member swingably secured to said opposite leg of the holding member at a point intermediate its length and shaped to define a first portion superposing said base and a second portion bearing against said swingable lower end portion of the hinged leg tensioning the same toward the opposite leg to clamp a garment between the opposed gripping faces on the legs, and said clamping member being swingable out of engagement with said lower end portion of the hinged leg to free the latter for swingable movement away from the opposite leg to release said garment, and maens secured to one of said members for suspending the garment holder.

2. A garment holder comprising, in combination: a elongate plastic U-shaped garment holding member having converging legs terminating in free ends which define inwardly projecting opposed garment gripping faces normally spaced apart to allow ready interpositioning of a garment therebetween, one of said legs being hinged intermediate its length for freely swingable movement of its free end toward and away from the opposite leg, a resilient plastic U-shaped clamping member hingedly secured to said opposite leg of the holding member to superpo se said holding member when in one position bearing against the free end portion of said hinged leg to tension the same into clamping engagement against a garment disposed between said opposed gripping faces of the legs, said clamping member being swingable on its hinge away from said holding member out of engagement with the hinged leg to permit freely swingable movement of the latter, and means connected to the base of one of said U-shap'ed members for suspending the holder.

against said swingable leg portion thereof to tension such leg portion into clamping engagement with the garment disposed between the legs, said clamping member being swingable out of engagement with said swingable leg portion to permit the latter to swing freely away from the opposite leg, and means connected to one of said members for suspending the holder.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 789,180 5/05 Spruce 223-96 900,625 10/08 Wallis 22396 1,083,385 1/14 Burgess 24-250 1,804,308 5/31 Bollinger 24-251 2,473,408 6/49 Alkin 223 X 2,805,013 9/57 Comfort 223--96 2,898,024 8/59 Jenson 223-91 2,990,961 7/61 Schneider M 24--251 X 3,018,026 1/62 Brinkley et al. 223---91 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Examiner. 

1. A GARMENT HOLDER COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: AN ELONGATE HOLDING MEMBER HAVING A BASE AND A PAIR OF INTEGRAL LEGS DEPENDING FROM OPPOSITE MARGINAL EDGES OF THE BASE IN CONVERGING RELATION TO EACH OTHER AND TERMINATING AT THEIR LOWER ENDS IN OPPOSED GRIPPING FACES TO ENGAGE A GARMENT THEREBETWEEN, ONE OF SAID LEGS BEING HINGED INTERMEDIATE ITS LENGTH FOR FREELY SWINGABLE MOVEMENT OF THE LOWER END THEREOF TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE CORRESPONDING PORTION OF THE OPPOSITE LEG, A RESILIENT CLAMPING MEMBER SWINGABLY SECURED TO SAID OPPOSITE LEG OF THE HOLDING MEMBER AT A POINT INTERMEDIATE ITS LENGTH AND SHAPED TO DEFINE A FIRST PORTION SUPERPOSING SAID BASE AND A SECOND PORTION BEARING AGAINST SAID SWINGABLE LOWER END PORTION OF THE HINGED LEG TENSIONING THE SAME TOWARD THE OPPOSITE LEG TO CLAMP A GARMENT BETWEEN THE OPPOSED GRIPPING FACES ON THE LEGS, AND SAID CLAMPING MEMBER BEING SWINGABLE OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LOWER END PORTION OF THE HINGED LEG TO FREE THE LATTER FOR SWINGABLE MOVEMENT AWAY FROM THE OPPOSITE LEG TO RELEASE SAID GARMENT, AND MEANS SECURED TO ONE OF SAID MEMBERS FOR SUSPENDING THE GARMENT HOLDER. 